1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for analyzing the amount of intraabdominal adipose tissue and its uses.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, it was revealed that the increase of adipose tissue in the peritoneal cavity, particularly the increase of adipose tissue by accumulating fat into adipose tissue which is present around vessels flowing in the portal veins, such as mesenteric adipose tissue or omental adipose tissue, is related closely to the onset of diseases including metabolic disorders such as diabetes, hyperlipemia and arteriosclerosis as well as cardiac vessel disorders such as coronary artery diseases, angina and myocardial infarction (“Naizo Shibogata Himan (Visceral Fatty-Type Obesity)”, 1995, published by Iyaku Journal Ltd.). In order to predict the risk of onset of such diseases, there is a need for the development of an analytical method which can easily and rapidly manage the amount of intraabdominal adipose tissue.
As a method for analyzing the amount of intraabdominal adipose tissue, a method for estimating a waist/hip peripheral diameter ratio (W/H ratio) as an indicator (J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., vol. 54, p. 254, 1982) has been reported, but the W/H ratio provides a rough estimate of the amount of fat in the whole abdomen area and thus cannot clearly distinguish the amount of subcutaneous adipose tissue from the amount of intraabdominal adipose tissue. Accordingly, the method for estimating the amount of intraabdominal adipose tissue by using the W/H ratio as an indicator fails to be satisfactorily accurate and is inadequate as a method for analyzing the amount of intraabdominal adipose tissue.